معرفی
Dr. Sharon Owen is a Research Fellow at the School of Life Sciences, Keele University, based at the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) in Oswestry, Shropshire. Her primary research focus is on spinal disorders, including intervertebral disc degeneration, spinal cord injury, and spinal muscular atrophy.
Dr. Owen holds a BSc in Biochemistry from Liverpool University and a PhD from the Charles Salt Centre at RJAH, where she investigated the biomechanical and biochemical properties of osteoarthritic bone under the supervision of Dr. Christopher Sharp.
Her research portfolio includes significant contributions to understanding the stress response of intervertebral disc cells (recognized with the Grammer and European Spine Journal Award in 2010), investigations into proteoglycan purity, and the development of blood biomarkers for predicting neurological outcomes in spinal cord injury. Currently, she is leading a GOSH and SPARKS-funded project in collaboration with Dr. Heidi Fuller to identify proteomic differences in Spinal Muscular Atrophy for targeted treatment strategies.
Scientific awards:
- Grammer and European Spine Journal Award (2010)
- Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Travelling Fellowship (2014)
Dr. Owen has been an active researcher at RJAH since 2004, collaborating extensively with Professor Sally Roberts and Dr. Karina Wright. Her work bridges clinical orthopaedics and basic science, with the aim of translating findings into improved diagnostics and therapies for spinal conditions.
She is part of the research team at the RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital, which has a long-standing partnership with Keele University, facilitating interdisciplinary research in musculoskeletal sciences.
